Sirenia + Týr + Unleash The Archers + Xaon + Relicseed

@ O2 Academy Islington, London

November 27, 2016

Review by Torbjørn ‘Toby’ Jørstad

With five bands playing a vast range of different styles of metal, including symphonic, folk, melodic death, and power metal, this evening featured one of the more diverse lineups I have seen in my concert attending career.

Bloodstock Open Air 2016

@Catton Hall, Derbyshire

11th – 14th August 2016

Review by Demitri Levantis

Derbyshire is probably the last place you’d expect to find metal. It’s not one of England’s most famous counties, nor has it built up a reputation for a place of art and culture. But within the south of this quaint midlands county, some of the country’s finest music promoters are at work building the county’s reputation as a haven for metalheads.

Nightwish
w/ Sonata Arctica & Delain

March 5, 2016

I have not seen the 2500+ capacity MacEwan Hall sold out for a Metal show in a long, long time. Not even for bands that also pull in the more mainstream crowds like Blind Guardian and Gwar. But Nightwish did it! At their second concert in Calgary in over 20 years, the place was packed for an extra-ordinary bill of Euro-Metal. Delain and Sonata Arctica have also been through Calgary before and the crowds were out in force to see the triple stacked show. I’m not surprised Nightwish is riding a career high with a triumphant North American tour with their new signer as they just recently won the award for Best Metal album in their homeland of Finland.

TOBIAS SAMMET

INTERVIEW AND LIVE PICTURES BY ARTO LEHTINEN AND MARKO SYRJALA

Tobias Sammet is the man and the visionary behind Avantasia and Edguy. Tobias sat down with Metal-Rules.com in Helsinki to discuss the brand new Avantasia opus entitled GHOSTLIGHTS. Avatansia is best known for their bombastic and rock opera oriented metal offerings. The band has conquered thousands of fans all over the world and they’re now more popular than ever. GHOSTLIGHTS is the bands seventh studio album. This is yet another masterpiece by Avantasia offering a magnificent journey into the world of Tobias Sammet and his musical adventures. Here’s the summary of the discussion we had about the album creation process, Avantasia in the Eurovision contest, the special quests, and more, including the current state of Edguy. Read on!

Peavy Wagner

INTERVIEW BY MARKO SYRJALA

Peavy Wagner is a German heavy metal musician who is best known as the lead singer and bassist of the band Rage which he founded in 1984. The band is an important part of the German metal / power metal scene along with names such as Helloween, Running Wild and Blind Guardian. Rage enjoyed great success in the years 1988-1993 when the band released their best-known albums: SECRETS IN WEIRD WORLD, TRAPPED! and THE MISSING LINK. The line-up of this classic era Rage consisted of Peavy, guitarist Manni Schmidt, and drummer Chris Efthimiadis. Schmidt left the Rage in 1994, and Efthimiadis left in 1999, but that did not stop the band from continuing. The guitarist Victor Smolski joined the band in 1999 and drummer Andre Hilgers replaced Mike Terrana in 2007. This lineup released four studio albums until Smolski and Hilgers left the band in February 2015. Around the same time, Peavy contacted Schmidt and Efthimiadis and they decided to start playing together once again under the name of Refuge. Wagner also announced that despite the dissolution of Rage in February, the band would continue with new members that will be announced in late June. Sounds more than a bit complicated, does not it? I met Peavy at the Sweden Rock Festival in early June, and we discussed Refuge, the recent line-up changes in Rage and the future of the two bands.

Within Silence: Guitarist and founder Richard Germanus

Interviewed by: Anders Sandvall

Thanks to Emil Westerdahl at Ulterium Records for setting up the interview and for the promo pictures of the band. Additional promotional photos taken by: YD Photography, Shorty Profo.sk, 3Media Prodction

Within Silence is a new power metal band from Slovakia led by guitarist and founder Richard Germanus. I had the pleasure to have a chat with Richard and I thought it was suitable to dig into the past of the band and also talk about their debut album GALLERY OF LIFE. That album was just released in Europe and the USA in May of this year. If you’re into bands like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarious, Hammerfall and Gamma Ray, then I’m pretty sure you’re going to like what you hear when you push play on GALLERY OF LIFE.

Axenstar: Singer/bass player Magnus Wilterwild

Interviewed by: Anders Sandvall

Thanks to Emil Westerdahl at Inner Wound Recordings for setting up the interview. Thanks to Inner Wound Recordings for the promo pictures of the band.

Axenstar is a power/metal act from Sweden that is back with their 6yh album WHERE DREAMS ARE FORGOTTEN. It follows up the album AFTERMATH which was released in 2011. I had the pleasure to talk to singer/bass player Magnus Wilterwild to see what he had to say about the new album, working with legend producer Pelle Saether, and the past, present and future.Read the rest of this entry »

Alestorm Interview with Dani Evans

23rd October 2014

@ Sub 89, Reading

Alestorm

Saying that Alestorm have been a busy band is an understatement, with a new album just out and the Scottish pirate crew are ready to release the Kraken that is their new album “Sunset on the Golden age”.We caught up with Dani Evans, who lends his guitar talents to Alestorm, for a quick chat about the new album, the current tour and plans for the future.Read the rest of this entry »

Dragonforce and Neonfly

@ The Hub, Plymouth

2nd October 2014

Review by Victoria Fenbane

There is a current trend of high profile artists touring small venues in the UK, giving fans the opportunity to get up close in their home regions. In the past Plymouth was very rarely visited by big names. With it being my home city this is something I know all too well and is actually a reason I left for bigger cities. However the music industry has changed and this has led to a change in the way bands tour. Plymouth has recently lost a music venue due to redevelopment, but luckily the city has another great venue to take on the booked shows.

Marco Kern master mind / singer, guitarist – Garagedays

Interviewed by: Anders Sandvall

Thanks to Tom Hack at Massacre Records for setting up the interview.

Thanks to Massacre Records for providing the promo pics.

Garagedays is the name of the Austrian band that recently released their brilliant debut album DARK AND COLD to the metal masses. I hooked up with band leader and master mind Marco Kern in order to set the record straight regarding the bands past present and future as well as DARK AND COLD as the recording process that took them to Sweden. Garagedays has also been out as support act to the band Master and the music of Garagedays ought to appeal to fans of heavy metal.

Bandleader/drummer Soren “Snoppi” Van Heek

Interviewed by: Anders Sandvall

Thanks to Tom Hack at Massacre Records for setting up the interview.

Thanks to Massacre Records for providing the promo pics.

If you’re into power/heavy metal music then you should check out the brand new Wizard album ….OF WARIWULFS AND BLUOTVARWES from the German act Wizard. The band have been active for 22 years so I thought it was time to get a hold of bandleader Soren “Snoppi” Van Heek and to have a long talk about the band, its history, the new album, and of course the future.